A large crowd of men, women and kids of all ages and races gathered Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Houghton Park in Long Beach.

It was a school holiday for many of the kids, but it wasn't a "day off." It was a "day on." That was the motto the crowd gathered under Monday morning to begin their day of service.

Speaking about King, young Julianna Schaub explained "he helped a lot of people and in return it would be good for us to do it in memory of him."

Leadership Long Beach organized the day of service, which is in its eighth year. There were nine different service projects volunteers could sign up for throughout the city -- everything from planting trees to trash cleanup and storefront facade improvements.

"Dr. King believed people working together could solve any problem and that is the spirit we're invoking today in this day of service," one volunteer explained.